


I'd Rather See White Silver Sands

by Neurotoxia



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Blizzards & Snowstorms, Feelings Realization, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Pre-Slash, Trapped, Zack Fair & Cloud Strife Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28203972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neurotoxia/pseuds/Neurotoxia
Summary: Zack does not like the cold. Scratch that. He hates it. And he’s not a guy who hates a lot of things: soggy sandwiches, that shampoo infomercial they show at night on SNN, and being cold.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57
Collections: Writing Rainbow Silver





	I'd Rather See White Silver Sands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nununununu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/gifts).



Zack does not like the cold. Scratch that. He hates it. And he’s not a guy who hates a lot of things: soggy sandwiches, that shampoo infomercial they show at night on SNN, and being cold. He’s a white sand beach guy, not a white snow mountain guy.

“This is colder than Shiva’s balls,” he whines and rubs his hands along his upper arms in a vain attempt at friction. 

“I don’t think that’s how that saying goes,” Cloud muses next to him. 

“I’m paraphrasing.”

Stuck in a small cave in the middle of a blizzard. Cloud says it’s not a blizzard, but he’s from the mountains and considers four inches of snow a light dusting. 

The other SOLDIERs will never let him live this down. Zack is still fresh enough to First Class that the others see it as their duty to rib Zack every chance they get. Getting separated from your troop by a Behemoth while the thing tramples the pack with your Materia and PHS in it is going to feed the jokes for months. He’s going to find Behemoth miniatures in his locker for the foreseeable future. 

Cloud was walking ahead with Zack, which is how Cloud ended up in this cave. Zack’s glad for the company, though he should probably feel guilty about the mess he got them in. Zack is the highest ranking member on the mission, and yet he’s the one who got himself and a trooper stuck in a cave. The thick blanket of silver-bright snow on the plain makes it impossible to guess which direction would be the right to go, and Zack never learned to use the sun and night sky to orient himself. Somewhere off to the right is the body of the massive Behemoth that Zack managed to take down eventually with some additional help from Cloud. The beast gave Zack a run for his money, but Zack is nothing if not persistent in the face of difficult odds. It cost him a good deal of strength, however, which makes him feel the crisp, cutting winds all the more.

Cloud still has his PHS, but there’s no signal, so they’re keeping it powered off to preserve the battery, only turning it back on once every hour for two minutes to see if they’re getting reception after all. Or for someone to try and trace Cloud’s phone. Someone back in camp has to come up with that idea at some point.

If only they had some fire for warmth. But Zack’s Fire Materia got crushed, Cloud as a regular trooper doesn’t get one as standard issue, and there’s no wood for them to try and make one the old-fashioned way. Not that Zack could, he doesn’t know how to start a fire without at least a match, but Cloud says he could if they had anything in the way of dry wood. Which they don’t. So they’re in a stupid little cave and huddling together bundled up in their snow gear.

And still, Zack is cold. Cloud seems less bothered by the whole affair than Zack is – maybe it’s that mountain disposition. Whatever it is, Zack is grateful Cloud is there and taking it in stride. Zack’s been in tight spots with nervous little twits, and it does nothing but stress you out. There’s always something about Cloud that makes his presence – not soothing, but almost relaxing. It’s pretty at odds with Zack’s own personality and some of his other friends, but maybe that’s what's so interesting about Cloud.

Cloud doesn’t consider himself interesting in any way and occasionally appears puzzled why Zack wants him around. Well, Zack likes having him around for no other reason than enjoying spending time with him. More than any of his other friends. Cloud is smart and has that sort of really dry humour, once he’s comfortable enough to start cracking jokes around you. Zack was chuffed when they got to that stage. By now Zack thinks something’s missing when he’s not getting texts from Cloud with a few choice, desert dry observations about his day.

The other folks in the barracks keep needling him about what girlfriend he’s texting to be smiling at his phone so much, but it’s always Cloud texting when that happens. Zack doesn’t bother correcting them. 

“Still nothing,” Cloud sighs and stuffs his phone back into the front pocket of his deep blue winter uniform jacket. “If we’re here until night, we might have to start building a snow wall by the entrance so we’re shielded. It’s not that cold yet, but once the sun is gone, that’ll change.”

“Not that cold?” Zack asks, incredulous, watching his breath escape in white, foggy puffs. “I’m freezing already.”

“You’re from the jungle,” Cloud snorts. “Of course you’d think this is cold.”

“Yes yes, you were born on the highest mountains in four feet of snow and when you were young you walked backwards through snowdrifts and your piss would freeze midair,” Zack grouses, but grins anyway.

“Not my fault you Southerners are soft,” Cloud continues, hiding a grin of his own in his scarf.

“Excuse me?” Zack asks, mock outrage making him flap his arms. “Under this parka, there’s rock hard abs hiding, I’ll have you know. Feel for yourself!”

“I’m not feeling you up in the middle of a blizzard in a cave.”

“Ha, so you admit it’s a blizzard!” Zack exclaims and points a gloved finger at Cloud.

“Figure of speech,” Cloud retorts, covering his slip. “I’m still not feeling you up. I’ll revisit the offer if we have to start sharing body heat.”

“Cloud, really,” Zack snorts. “If you’re that interested to see me naked, all you have to do is ask. No need to get me stuck in a cave.”

“You wish,” Cloud chuckles and huddles closer to Zack so that they’re pressed together shoulder to hip. Not that you feel much through the padded clothes, but there’s something comforting about it anyway.

They’re joking a lot about this sort of stuff – seeing each other naked, going on dates, and all that. It’s their thing. Might be weird if others were to hear them. Some already think Zack and Cloud are dating, and this wouldn’t help the rumours. Not that Zack minds, per se, that people think that. Cloud is smart, funny, and good-looking; Zack could do a lot worse, as far as hypothetical boyfriends went.

Zack glances over to Cloud, who’s playing turtle with his cowl, sunk in up to the tip of his nose. His cheeks are flushed with the cold, stark against his fair skin and the bright blue of his eyes. Cloud really has pretty eyes.

Okay, so maybe his thoughts about his best friend are a _bit_ weird sometimes.

“Honestly, I’m getting colder just looking at your kicked puppy expression,” Cloud sighs, but he’s smiling and starts unwrapping the fleece scarf from around his neck. 

It’s a snow version of the mint green cowl the troops wear with their regular uniforms, and something that Zack doesn’t have. The SOLDIER snow gear doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles. The mako makes them more resilient against extreme temperatures, so Shinra skimps on their gear in that regard. Sure technically Zack can withstand cold and heat for longer with less toll on his body, but that doesn’t mean he feels the cold any less.

“What are you doing?” Zack asks, but his words are muffled by a green scarf wrapping around his neck and face, almost all the way to his eyes.

“I can do without it,” Cloud says and tucks the ends into the padded jacket Zack is wearing.

“It’s your scarf,” Zack protests, but it’s a weak one. His face and neck already feel warmer, and he’s drawing deep breaths, surrounded by Cloud’s smell.

“And I’m giving it to you,” Cloud replies, reaching back into his pocket to pull the phone back out for a check.

Well. As a SOLDIER, Zack thinks the role of the gallant one should normally fall to him. Which would make Cloud a damsel, and that he is certainly not. Zack isn’t into damsels in the first place. Not that he’s into Cloud. Crikey, his mind is sure going places.

“Thank you,” Zack finally mumbles and burrows deeper into his little pocket of warmth, once again breathing in Cloud’s scent. “We could share it.”

“Are you proposing a cuddle hiding under a scarf together?” Cloud teases, looking up from his PHS screen.

“Maybe I am,” Zack says, more serious than he’d planned and finds himself taken aback by his own statement. He kind of means it. Probably. Maybe. For the love of Ifrit, what is he on about today with Cloud?

Cloud furrows his brow for a moment, no doubt having noticed the shift in Zack’s tone. He opens his mouth and no, oh no. Zack does _not_ want to examine that one more closely. Not here while his brain is half frozen. Has to be the reason why he’s thinking so much about Cloud being pretty and wanting to cuddle him today. Or maybe he got hit harder by that Behemoth than he thought. Concussions were nothing to trifle with.

“Zack–”

 _Beep._ The PHS pinged.

“Reception!” Cloud very nearly gasps and scrambles to stand, already dialling Shinra’s emergency line.

Zack watches his friend making the call, talking rapidly into the PHS to relay their mishap, and Zack’s heart seems to do a weird skipping thing. He’s not sure whether he’s relieved Cloud got interrupted or not.

He really isn’t ready to examine this. Not today.

Rescue first. Then he can think about this again.

Maybe.


End file.
